The Sacred Heart, I will remember their sins no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)

Today, June 11, as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Bishops will consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

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Today, June 11th, as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the United States Catholic bishops will consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

On our pilgrimage to France in 2019, we traveled to Paray-le-Monial, where St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had the vision of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the traditional image, Jesus’ finger is pointing to his heart, which is visible on the outside. St. Margaret Mary began having visions of the Sacred Heart between 1673 and 1675, but she suffered greatly from the disbelief of the other religious sisters in her convent. But Jesus assured her that he would send her a friend who would not only support her but also help spread devotion to the Sacred Heart. 

Well, soon after, a certain Jesuit, Claude La Colombière, arrived as a confessor. But apparently, Colombière had not gotten the same memo. Margaret Mary was quite upset when Colombière steadfastly refused to acknowledge her visions as genuine, although he questioned her endlessly about them. Finally, he devised a way to find out if these were really visions of God. The next time Jesus appeared, she was to ask him a question that only God would be able to answer. “What was my last mortal sin?” 

Well, after another vision, Claude was impatient to question her on Jesus’ response. “Well,” he prodded, “did Jesus tell you my last mortal sin?” She looked at him and replied, “The Sacred Heart said, ‘Tell him, I can’t remember. I always forget.’” And in that instant, Claude La Colombière knew that she was indeed seeing and listening to Jesus. 

I’m reminded of this verse from the prophet Jeremiah, 31:34. “For I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sins no more.” Or, in the words of Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far does God remove our sins from us.” “I will remember their sins no more” doesn’t mean our sin slips God’s mind, but that God doesn’t hold it against us. (Hebrews 8:12) God treats us as if we’ve never sinned. 

Remember the story in John’s Gospel, chapter 8? (John 8:3-11) The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and they made her stand in the middle. They placed the woman alone beside Jesus, which, as it turns out, is exactly where Jesus wished to be. Beside the sinner. 

In the story, our focus is on the woman caught in adultery. We see her as the sinner, but Jesus sees right through this. “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her.” (John 8:7) The narrator goes on, “and once again, Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders.” (John 8:8-9) What did they hear? Let me ask the question in a different way. Who else wrote with their finger, not once, but twice? When Moses went up the mountain to receive the second set of commandments written with the finger of God. As the Lord passed by, this is what Moses heard.

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” (Exodus 34:6-7) 

“And Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, woman, where are they?” (John 8:10) I hear in that question the plaintive cry of a rejected lover. In Luke chapter 13, verse 34, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem saying, “I wanted to gather your children together as a mother hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.”

Father Richard Rohr says that our dualistic commentaries, all of our judging and condemning of others, takes place in the head. But if we move that person out of the head and into the heart, it’s almost impossible to comment, judge, create storylines, or remain antagonistic. Now the Sacred Heart is transferred to you. Christ is pointing for you to join him there. The Sacred Heart is then your heart, too.